Smith-McKenzie record leads to mixed feelings

The highest opening stand in Test history between South Africans Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie has left the cricket-playing sons of the previous world-record holders with mixed feelings.

Skipper Smith and McKenzie pulverised Bangladesh, putting on 415 in the first innings of the second and final Test in Chittagong.

Their partnership erased the previous best of 413 between Indians Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in Madras (now Chennai) in 1956.

It was only the third 400-plus stand for the opening wicket in Test cricket, the other being 410 between Indians Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid against Pakistan in Lahore in 2006.

"I have mixed feelings. I am a little sad, but this has nothing to do with cricket, perhaps biology! My father's record that stood for more than 50 years has been finally broken," Ashok Mankad told the Times of India on Sunday.

He praised the South African duo for showing immense concentration and determination on the way to setting the new mark.

"Ideally, this (new) record should stand for more than 100 years, but with the globalisation of cricket, some of the lesser teams have started playing Tests. So it could be broken any time," said Mankad, who played 22 Tests.

Left-handed Smith (232) and McKenzie (226) batted more than a day to become only the second pair of openers to hammer double-centuries in a Test innings after Australians Bill Lawry and Bobby Simpson.

Vinoo Mankad, a right-handed batsman and left-arm spinner, was considered one of the best all-rounders of his era. He died in 1978, having scored 2,109 runs and claimed 162 wickets in 44 Tests.

His opening partner, Pankaj Roy, who died in 2001, scored 2,442 runs in 43 Tests.

"Frankly, I felt a little sad. It's hard to wrench yourself from something that has been a part of your life ever since you were born," former Test batsman Pranab Roy, son of Pankaj, told the same newspaper.

"There's just so many fond memories attached to it. Whenever the old-timers spoke about my dad, the discussion invariably led to the world record he set. We grew up soaking in it all and feeling very proud because of him."

He said he was mentally prepared for the new world record, especially after Smith and McKenzie had put on an unbeaten 405 on the opening day of the match on Friday.

"I had prepared myself for such a day," said Roy, who played two Tests.